@xXrEMmUsXx asked:

“Are you afraid of death? Why or why not?”

It depends on the day. I would never really say that I’m afraid of death. It’s definitely human nature to try to increase our lifespan, but death is something that everything goes through eventually, so I don’t really see a reason to fear it. I’m more afraid of what I don’t know. Will death hurt? Will my last breath feel like I’m suffocating? Can it be enjoyable? Will I be sad or happy? Will I be aware of my death? What if heaven is nothing like how I imagine it? What if I’m wrong? Does it matter? These are the questions that I think we all have, and I think for most people, this is what’s so bothersome about death. My grandma died a few months ago, and so I’ve really been thinking about this lately. There are some eerie things involved in the dying process. In my grandma’s case, her last few days, she spent the entire time sleeping. Though, she would open her eyes to acknowledge my presence every once in awhile, I don’t really know how aware she was. The nurses and my family assured me that she knew I was there and that she heared our conversations, but I don’t know. I feel like that was only told to me to make me feel comfortable. Hospice pumps you full of morphine so you can die comfortably… the downside to that is your last moments may often be unconscious and/or unintelligible. I don’t know if that’s how I want to die. I think about Jesus dying on the cross. His death was absolute pain, but it was the most meaningful death in the history of the world. We can learn a lot about death through Jesus’… How to boldly embrace it… How to die in dignity, even if your death is among the most undignified… Crying out to God… Friends and family at your side… Jesus’ death was horrible and excruciating, but he really knew how to die!

One thing that I’ve always wanted is to have my dying last words. I don’t want them to be full of wisdom. I don’t want to utter a secret. I just want to leave a bit of treasure for my friends and my family. One of the things that scares me about death is if it comes unexpectedly and I don’t get that chance.

All over scripture, we are told not to be afraid… However, fear is a God-given emotion just like any other emotion. I don’t think it’s healthy to live your life avoiding fear. The only way to conquer it, is to embrace it. It’s okay to fear death and still have hope for what God has in store for us. It’s a mystery. The only way to come to it is by crossing that line of death. Sure it’s scary. The unknown is always scary, but I think that even Jesus’ dying on the cross teaches us how we can boldly approach death, even in our fear. His resurrection gives us hope for what we have to look forward to.

@xXrEMmUsXx asked:

“What was the most profound spiritual moment of your life, excluding salvation?”

Believe it or not, this is a very difficult question for me to answer. I don’t really treasure profound moments. I don’t know why, but it probably has to do with momentary living. I don’t really look back and think how nice it used to be. I don’t look forward to the future and get excited about what could be… I kind of just… be… I’m not sure how true that is, but that’s the way I see myself most of the time anyway… That isn’t to say that I don’t have moments in my life where I look back at the things I’ve learned over the years. I meditate on these times a lot. But to ask me what my most profound spiritual moment in my life is, I am just not sure, though I try to think of it often.

I consider two times in my life to be extremely spiritually profound:

1) My marriage to Tesia. We created a spiritual union that day, and that was the day we became one flesh. It changed the course of my life forever.

2) I had a “wilderness experience” a number of years ago and it went on for a number of years. I was completely lost. I hated God, but all I could do is rely on God. I was very honest with God at that time and I kept asking God why I was so lost… why I can’t get it right… and I would say, “God, I hate you right now.” But the entire time, God was telling me, “It’s going to be ok. Trust me.” I didn’t want to trust God, but I did. Eventually, God led me out of the wilderness and back into comfort. I came out of that a better man… but I’ve never been closer to God than in that time.

Concerning the “excluding salvation” part of the question… I consider both of these moments to be very salvific. I don’t go by the understanding that “salvation” is a one-time thing. I wake up every morning and make the decision to follow Jesus, believe in God’s grace, and to trust in his sacrifice. Honestly, I’ve never had that moment many Christians have where they decide to become a Christian. I’ve considered myself a Christian ever since my baptism on January 25th, 1987. I was a baby. Many don’t agree with infant baptism, but that’s a conversation for another time.

So I guess I can say that I try to make everyday a profound spiritual moment. No day is better than any other… but there are definitely days that feel better than others

@xXrEMmUsXx asked this question:

What do you think about Authority in ‘church’?

This is a tricky one for me because I have a natural distrust for authority, yet, I still hold an ingrained respect for those in authority. So if my answer isn’t clear, I hope you understand why. I guess I will say that the United Methodist Church is set up as a hierarchical system. We have the pastors that discern for and lead the individual churches. Above them, we the district superintendents who oversee the pastors in the districts, and above them are the Bishops that oversee the various conferences. It get’s even more complicated from there and I just don’t know enough about my own denomination to know how everything is split up, but there are basically 5 jurisdictions in the US. And even that is over my head. Our entire system is based on democracy. Everyone in some sort of position in the church is either voted for or appointed by those who’ve been voted for. And that’s really how our church runs- through elections and appointments. These processes can get ugly, but that’s the nature of democracy, I guess. It’s important to note, though, that those who end up in place are who we believe God wants to lead our church, so this is all done prayerfully, as the Holy Spirit guides the decisions of the church. Since we believe that God puts certain people in hierarchical and positions of authority, we have to trust the decisions a Bishop, District Superintendent, or pastors (or any other board or cabinet) make. But since it’s all democracy led by the Holy Spirit, there are also checks and balances in place for those who abuse their authority, or for those who just don’t work out in these positions of authority.

Checks and Balances

This is all boring, so I really hope you are staying with me!

So, to make all that short, I believe God uses authority in the church, but it’s also important to say that these hierarchical positions are not about power and authority. They are about servanthood. To be a pastor, an DS, or a Bishop for the United Methodist Church is not a “higher calling” as some would put it, but a lower calling. To be a pastor is to be a servant; to become the lowest of lows, as Jesus became the lowest of lows. It’s this humbling attitude that makes a pastor successful in the UMC.

 

 

@agnophilo asked:

What (if any) major views have you changed in your life, religious, philosophical, political or even a prejudice?

Honestly, I can go a million directions with this question. I’m convinced that anyone who’s never changed any of their views has never really thought their views through. My beliefs are always evolving as I am always trying to question what it is that I believe. Maybe I’m naturally inquisitive… but more than likely, I’m just naturally skeptical. 

Throughout my blog, you can track the change that’s been going on in my life. I grew up in a conservative home.

Pretty much sums up my dad’s feelings about the President

As I was being challenged in my faith, in college, I allowed myself to sway more towards the left. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that neither end of the political spectrum had the answers or solutions I was looking for, so I decided that it was right for me to abstain from politics. I still do, and my convictions run very deep. 

I’ve also let go of my fundamentalism as I’ve found that the Bible was written to teach lessons, not to be a history book. Though I do believe there is a lot of history in the Bible, I do not believe that most of the stories were designed to be literal, but rather to teach us how God works in the world, in us, and through us. Most of all, the entire Bible points to the truth of Jesus Christ. That’s something all Christians can agree on.

The “Heaven-and-hell-Christian” mentality, I’ve ditched as well. I’m not a Christian because I’m afraid of going to hell. I’m not a Christian because I’m afraid of death. These are very superficial reasons to believe in the divine, but instead, I’m a believer because I see the God of the Bible at work in the world, and I especially see God in the teachings of Jesus Christ, that I try to hold so close to my heart. Christianity was never meant to be “Believe or feel God’s wrath!” It’s always been meant to be, “Come and feel the good grace of our Lord.” And it’s who Jesus is that’s key- God walking on earth, showing us all a different, unique way to live life, that somehow’s been all but lost. I try to hold on to these teachings that God taught us all. There is salvation in his words. In his teachings, there is hope for all of creation, and I intend to live by them.. I’m not perfect, but I do believe that I am being perfected through his love.

Now one thing I want to make clear is that, just because my views have changed, doesn’t mean that I think I’m better than anyone else. Of course I believe that my beliefs are “right”. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t hold on to them. I do try to keep the door open to welcome change though. As one of my favorite teachers says, “I know I’m right, but I’m only right on about half of what I say. Which half is the truth, I haven’t figured out yet.”

Of course I can go on and on about my ever-changing beliefs, but I’ll spare my readers the boredom of this 3,000 page book I’d have to write. 

Concerning my 3,000 page book I’d have to write about all the beliefs I’ve changed.

@LKJSlain asked three questions:

What is your idea of the perfect “time” with your wife?

Tesia and I both lead very busy lives, so the perfect time is really just any time we can spend together. Of course, we both have our preferences on how we like to spend our time. I like to sit and watch TV on the couch with her. Maybe even the movie theater… She would rather lay in bed with me all day. Anymore, we just take what we can get. She hates sitting in front of the TV and I hate spending the day in bed, but we make it work anyway .

What keeps your relationships fresh/alive/new?

I am a settler. If something is new, it tends to throw me off. So I don’t really know… I really just enjoy being amazed by my bride. I’m always finding new reasons as to why I married her to begin with… she does a good job at reminding me because she is not a settler… and she is always trying new things, testing her limits, and stretching her potential. But if you’d like to know how she works these things out from her side, I don’t know. It’s a mystery to me…

Who apologizes first?

Are you trying to get me in trouble!? Typically, it’s me that apologizes first, but my wife has gotten a lot better at apologizing. I’m very stubborn, and my wife is very prideful. It makes for an interesting combination, but I’m normally the one apologizing because I say things that sound good in my head at the time, but in reality, are very hurtful. Of course, sometimes, I apologize too much… On top of being stubborn, I’m also very apologetic… 

@kk_grayfox asked:

What do you do when it seems that scientific data appears to refute one of your theological beliefs?

If I am being completely honest, this is how I handle these things- First I mock the notion. Second, I get angry. Third, I mock the idea more. Then, I get angry again. Finally, I am able to think clearly and put the new information into consideration. There was a time when science challenged my fundamentalist worldview. Science won.

God would not create a world that deceives us. God finely tuned the universe, so much so that we’ve been able to accurately (so far as we know) calculate it. We’ve estimated the sizes of stars, how far away the celestial bodies are, how long it’s taken the light of the stars to reach Earth. God made a universe that we are able to figure out and understand, and many thank God in return by denying it even exists.

We’ve been able to estimate that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old and that the universe is about 14 billion years old. God has gifted us with the ability to find out more about the workings of creation. We’ve found the bones of the largest animals to ever roam the planet, microbes that existed before any other life came into being… we’ve discovered evolution. We’ve even developed time-traveling bears:

Ok, we haven’t done that, but we are very unique. We are the most intelligent creatures to ever step foot on this planet, and we’re constantly finding out more about the world God gave us.

Admittedly, I am disconcerted by those who reject our scientific progress simply because the Bible tells a different story of creation. It bothers me that this is our reality- a reality created by God- and some deny it, preferring the story that was designed, not to give us history, but to teach us about the nature of humanity. Of course, that’s the best we can do with the evidence we’ve found. I am a bit graceful towards 6-day creationists. I mean, I used to be one.

None of this is to say that faith has no ground in the Christian belief system. I take much on faith. People don’t rise from the dead. That’s a scientific fact. But I believe that Jesus did. And I believe that we all will partake in the resurrection of the dead one day. There is no empirical evidence for God. There never will be. But I still believe that God exists. When you believe that there is a spiritual reality, you have to believe in metaphysics- that which cannot be practically proven. However, God gave us a physical world- because it’s a physical world, to understand it requires a great degree of concrete substantiation.

I went on a bit of a rant there, but if scientists create a theory that is supported by a great deal of evidence and all the evidence seems to point in one direction, there is no need to not trust it. It is God’s desire of us to find out more about his beautiful creation and know how to better care for it. God wants us to challenge our minds and increase our potential.

There is no need for Christians to fear scientific progress. There is no need to dismiss what God has intended us to understand better. The worst thing that could happen is that we’d be wrong. At the end of the day, I doubt that God really cares about how “right” we are.

@Such_are_you asked:

“When you and Tesia met what was going on in that season of your life?  Were you looking for love or simply trying to take care of the business of every day living?” 

 

Tesia and I met at church. She moved to my hometown when she was in the fifth grade. I was in the 6th. I didn’t know much about her, but I didn’t like her.

She seemed nerdy and annoying to me. She had a crush on me though. I have no idea why because we didn’t really know each other that well. When we were in high school, she quickly became my best friend when I found out that she and I actually had a lot in common (as far as musical taste is concerned). She was into punk rock, I was into punk rock. That was all that really mattered to me. That, and she was beautiful. I started crushing on her, and eventually, at the end of my junior year, she asked me out (somewhat reluctantly, I might add). I wrote about the entire experience on another blog series.

Our relationship pretty much just started with teenage hormones, but it blossomed into something very beautiful. So I guess I wasn’t really looking for love. I just really liked Tesia

@atticusfin asked:

“You started a new job??  What is it??“

I quit my job at the YMCA for a job I considered to be a little more academic. I now work at a bookstore in the seminary my wife attends. I’ve been there since the beginning of October. The bookstore is called Cokesubury. It is a Christian (predominately Methodist, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian) bookstore. I chose to work there because I felt like it would be a step in the right direction. When I worked at the YMCA, I was a janitor. I didn’t want to be a janitor anymore. I wanted to talk openly about my faith. Cokesbury is the perfect place for that. It helps because my goal is to eventually teach in a seminary. To work in a seminary, surrounding myself with books, seems like it will help me to go down that road. Working there has already helped me with my networking.

Unfortunately, about a month after I started working there, we received word that all Cokesbury stores (bricks and mortar) would be closing their doors to pave way for the future of Cokesbury. It’s clear to see that working in bookstore or a movie store these days is not a very good idea as everything is now shifting towards the convenience of online shopping. Cokesbury’s call center will remain open, so anyone interested in a book, curriculum, etc… can call to order it.

So basically, I quit one job to eventually be laid off from another- all because I was trying to move up in the world! I really shouldn’t look at it like that. So, come about mid-April, I will no longer be employed at Cokesbury.

Aside from that job, I’m also the youth minister at my church
Honestly, the ministry has been suffering a bit lately because I am unable to give it my full attention in a way that would help the ministry to be successful. The good news is, my beautiful wife is getting a raise starting in January, so she gave me permission to not seek another job and focus more on what I’m doing in the church with the students I have. I think I feel really good about that idea although I didn’t at first.

On top of that, I’m also in school. I am majoring in Religion at Wright State University where I’m a full-time student. The program is small, but excellent.

So as you can see, I stay busy. I’ll miss working at Cokesbury when it closes. I’ll miss being at the Seminary, but I know that God’s got bigger things in store for me and I am excited to see where I’ll be lead.

 

If you are interested in knowing more about the future of Cokesbury, check out www.cokesburynext.com

I couldn’t think of a more clever title… @LKJSlain

Your Xanga name and meaning- How I got the name jmallory is really a long story… It all started 26 years ago at my birth. My parents named me after my grandfather, James Mallory. Well, to make a long story short, fast forward about 20 years, I couldn’t think of a clever name for my xanga so I just called myself jmallory. Ok… so it really wasn’t that complicated. I’m just lazy.

How long you’ve been here- I’ve been on Xanga for 8 1/2 years. Not always with this account.

Do you have more than one account- I have one other account that I do not use, but read every now and then to feel nostalgic.

How many times have you changed your name- I never changed my name per se, but I have changed accounts, along with that, names. My first account, I am keeping private because it has a lot of private matters and I was just super immature when I used it. It’s too embarrassing to share. Because of my immaturity on that account, I decided to get a new one that I cleverly named j_mallory. I closed that account (for more personal reasons) and I set up a new account as jmallory. I’ve been using this account, I believe, since September 2007. I’ve considered changing my name again, but people have come to know me by my not so quick-witted name.

Name and tag 10 people that keep you here and why, not just bloggers that you like to read/etc, but people who really and truly MEAN something to you (no, it doesn’t have to be limited to 10, but let’s start there). Tell us what they’ve done for you, how they’ve inspired you, how they’ve been a friend/cheered you up, say something nice about them.- 

1. @myareoplane – She is my wife. She doesn’t post too often, but she has been a lot more lately. When I see her post, it encourages me to post more. She is the busiest person I know and she seems to find time to blog, so I figure that if she can do it, so can I. By the way, she is an amazing person, so check her out and read her blogs!

2. @crevis05- He doesn’t post a lot anymore, but he is my cousin and he lives with my wife and me. If we are having a theological discussion, he often tells me that I should blog about it. In that way, he encourages me to blog more. He really should post more because he has a lot of good to say.

3. @TheGreatBout- I’m not sure if he uses this account anymore. I believe he switched to blogspot, but I’m probably mistaken… but he’s helped build me in my faith. He is a genuine, caring person who has a unique Christian perspective.

4. @SirNickDon- Yet another one who no longer uses Xanga. He doesn’t keep me here, but he’s always been a favorite of mine. His writings have challenged me in the way I view my faith in relationship to the Kingdom of God.

5. @Such_are_you- I don’t read a lot of people’s blogs anymore simply because I don’t have a lot of time. But when I get on Xanga, I always search out Lonnie because like everyone else I mentioned above, he brings a unique perspective to the Christian faith. In a lot of ways, he’s helped me grow.

6. @xXrEMmUsXx- I’m new to her blog, but I’ve noticed how humble she is. The questions she raises about Christianity really remind me of myself. Watching her reason out her faith has been really encouraging to me.

7. @TheTheologiansCafe- It’s almost embarrassing to admit this. Theo is sort of the equivalent to the tabloids. You don’t want to read it because it’s mindless, but you are intrigued at what’s on the inside. Dan does a very good job at starting discussion within the community of Xanga, and often stirs the pot, giving people something to talk about for weeks. He’s always somewhat of a mystery because he rarely puts out his perspective. Nevertheless, you can’t really call him a blogger, but he helps to keep the community of Xanga together.

8. @GodlessLiberal- He may be a terror to many Christians, but Krisko and I have always gotten along well. He and I actually agree as much as we disagree but our mutual respect for each other’s worldviews have gone a long way.

9. @agnophilo- He’s very opinionated, and to me it seems like he has his good moments and bad, but who doesn’t? Over time, he’s softened up a bit. Regardless of his beliefs, or lack there of, I really enjoy what he has to say. He’s intelligent and gifted and it’s always a pleasure to read anything he says regarding Religion, even if I don’t agree with the points he makes.

10. @secretbeerreporter- I just love seeing his affection towards his dog. It reminds me of why they are man’s best friend.

If you ever leave, will you say goodbye first- If I ever leave Xanga, I would not say goodbye. I would probably just fade away.

Do you have any xanga crushes- No. Actually, yes… Can you call your wife a crush? Well, I’m considering her my Xanga crush.

Are there people on xanga that you actively avoid- Yes. And I’ll leave it there. It’s all a part of the avoidance.

Do you troll- I wouldn’t consider myself a troll. I do defend my beliefs if I need to though, and it’s annoying enough to annoy me, so I imagine some people would consider me a troll.

(if yes) Are you good at it- No one has specifically called me out on it… so really, I don’t know.

Has the community been there for you in times of trouble/pain- Yes… though it wasn’t necessarily the community, but my Xanga page as an outlet to express my emotions.

 

I posted a blog a little over a month ago promising to answer some of your questions via vlog. I decided against that to answer the questions in a more traditional manner, as I’ve found, I really have no time to make a vlog at the moment. This is how this is going to work: I am going to answer these questions one post at a time in the order that they were received. So my first question came from @flapper_femme_fatale. She asked:

What denomination do you belong to?  I find that we are similar in political thought, and if i were to ever explore Christianity again, I’d want a similar place.

I’m very happy to answer this question because I don’t really talk about it all that much. I am a Methodist. I am absolutely head over heals for the United Methodist Church. It started with a small group of men (Particular John Wesley and his brother Charles) in the 18th century in England. While John was a pastor in the Anglican church, he came across a problem- many Christians were Christians by name only. In other words, they said they believed in the teachings of Jesus, but lived lives that were contrary to his teachings. John decided that these people needed a method to help them grow in their understanding about Jesus and his purpose and even their own purpose. What started as a movement eventually became a denomination when John Wesley introduced this method to the United States. He never intended on it becoming a denomination, as he was Anglican through and through. Eventually, for the most part, the method (which involved a life devoted to fasting, praying, giving to the poor, humility, and daily communion) has been lost over time, but what we are seeing in the United Methodist Church, is a shift back to its life-changing roots. It takes time, but with proper leading in the church, it will happen again.

John Wesley in bobblehead form. He would not like this idea at all, but I do own one!

Needless to say I am very proud of my denomination. As far as politics goes though, I’m not sure that my denomination has much of anything to do with my political leanings. The United Methodist Church is a very moderate denomination. They don’t lean too far right or too far left, but with almost everything, they take the middle of the road. I like this because it allows others to make up their own minds when it comes to their political leanings. None of the UM pastors are allowed to make political endorsements on behalf of their church. Nothing in this world is more divisive than politics. However, the church is very strong in its social convictions- but the church realizes that social justice can come in many different forms.

That said, if a person is looking to start going to a new church because they are tired of all the politics interlaced within it, I do believe that the United Methodist Church is a good place to look into simply because it’s so moderate and very hands off when it comes to an individual’s political leanings. I mean, my pastor is very progressive in a church that’s, for the most part, conservative, and here I am along with my wife, considering ourselves to be anarchists. It’s a very diverse denomination.